Chapter 289 Destined One

Chapter 289 The Destined One

"On the contrary, you knew he would have that reaction, yet you still reached out your hand. That's just you bringing it on yourself, isn't it?"

"There's no sympathy to be had here. His Majesty not blaming Consort Li is already doing you a favor. One must know when to quit while you're ahead."

Ji Yuntang glanced at Consort Li's right hand, which was bandaged due to a burn, and a hint of disdain flickered in her eyes.

How could she not guess Consort Li's little trick?

But even with her hand in that state, she still resorted to such sneaky tricks—asking for trouble.

Thankfully, it was Xie Liuzheng who caught her hand. If it had been her, she would have twisted her arm and left her unable to even lift a bowl for a month.

By comparison, Xie Liuzheng's move was far too gentle.

Emperor Jingyang, fed up with the constant arguing, truly didn't want to see Consort Li's messy, soup-stained face any longer—it was nauseating.

So he said, "My dear consort, Princess Ye is right. Just now, you did indeed reach out your hand toward them on your own. I witnessed it with my own eyes."

"You were the one at fault, so stop dwelling on it. Go ahead, go wash up, change into clean clothes, and then come back."

Consort Li: "..."

Consort Li: "!!!"

She stared, wide-eyed at Emperor Jingyang, unable to believe he was suddenly siding with Ji Yuntang.

All along, Consort Li had believed that Emperor Jingyang was deeply in love with her. Even when she repeatedly rejected him, he would shamelessly shower her with gold and jewels to win her favor.

Although Consort Li despised Emperor Jingyang, she paradoxically enjoyed his desperate attempts to please her.

It was as if only at those moments did her status surpass that of the Empress, giving her a sense of superiority.

Emperor Jingyang, on the other hand, believed that Consort Li was crazy about him, always putting him first, thinking about his well-being, and worrying about his every move—afraid he might make a mistake that would affect the bigger picture.

Even if she suffered a grievance, she would silently swallow her emotions without complaint.

And the next day, she would still speak to him gently and softly.

Emperor Jingyang confidently assumed that at this moment, Consort Li would still be considerate of him.

After all, she had said herself that she didn't want to escalate things and hoped to mend ties with the Rongguo Duke's household.

So she certainly wouldn't want to offend Xie Liuzheng either.

Moreover, as an emperor, he couldn't simply blatantly lie.

Both of them confidently believed that the other was deeply in love with them and would consider things from their perspective.

Yet, because of this incident, Consort Li harbored another grudge against Emperor Jingyang.

In the end, Consort Li left, carrying her hatred with her.

Only then did Emperor Jingyang ask Ji Yuntang with a stern face, "When you checked Heir Xie's pulse just now, did you notice anything?"

He had initially intended for Ji Yuntang to approach Xie Liuzheng to see if he would vomit. But who would have thought that sly woman would place a handkerchief on Xie Liuzheng's wrist?

With that, he had no grounds to continue pressing the issue.

Ji Yuntang's eyes narrowed slightly, and she spoke slowly and deliberately, "In reply to Your Majesty, my brother's condition is called psychological labyrinth syndrome. In simple terms, it's a physical reaction triggered by a psychological disorder. Physically, he's just like a normal person, but it's just that his behavior is a bit off."

"This kind of situation is often caused by some kind of psychological trauma experienced during childhood."

Emperor Jingyang didn't understand concepts like psychological disorder or psychological trauma, but he had heard that Ji Yuntang was treating the youngest son of Squire Chai for a psychological condition—something called autism, if he recalled correctly—and the results were apparently remarkable.

He thought it was utterly absurd, wondering where Ji Yuntang had come up with this idea of "psychological disorders."

After all, in the entire realm, she was the only one who had proposed this concept.

Although Emperor Jingyang felt Ji Yuntang was talking nonsense, he couldn't deny that many doctors and commoners out there trusted her wholeheartedly.

There were many patients like the Chai boy in the Dongchen Kingdom, whose behavior was abnormal but whom ordinary physicians could find no cause for.

When people learned that Ji Yuntang could treat such conditions, they flocked to the Evening Makeup Tower to seek her help.

Ji Yuntang raked in a ton of silver from this.

Emperor Jingyang had heard about these matters and thought Ji Yuntang was like a swindler, a disgrace to the royal family of Dongchen.

But he couldn't say that out loud, nor did he have any reason to blame her.

After all, in the eyes of outsiders, she was curing the sick and benefiting the people.

If he reproached her, wouldn't that be any different from going against the people?

The commoners of Dongchen would likely rebel and call him an incompetent fool.

Emperor Jingyang certainly wouldn't let that happen. He frowned and asked her,

"Do you have a way to cure Heir Xie's condition?"

Emperor Jingyang had high hopes, but he was also laying a trap for Ji Yuntang.

If she dared to say she was confident in curing Xie Liuzheng, then he could marry him off to Luo Qianxue again.

Luo Qianxue had her hand pulled by Xie Liuzheng today and was vomited on—many in the palace had witnessed it.

From a moral standpoint, as her father, he had to grant his daughter's wish.

From a logical standpoint, Luo Qianxue's psyche and honor had taken a severe blow today.

Only by marrying her to Xie Liuzheng could he settle the grievances of Luo Qianxue and Consort Li, smoothing things over.

When Emperor Jingyang asked that question, Xie Liuzheng also perked up his ears.

He too wanted to know if his condition could be cured.

Although, deep down, Xie Liuzheng felt there was nothing wrong with his ailment—it helped him keep away women with ulterior motives.

But subconsciously, he also wanted to become a normal person.

Over the years, Xie Jinrong and Madam Cai had worn themselves out worrying about his condition, spending large sums of money to seek out dozens of renowned doctors from across the land.

They had spent plenty of silver, but his condition hadn't improved. Xie Liuzheng even felt that his parents had been cheated.

If his condition could be cured, then his parents could finally put their worries to rest and stop toiling for him.

Ji Yuntang did not miss the flash of cunning in Emperor Jingyang's eyes.

She knew that this bastard emperor was setting a trap for her again!

Wasn't he deliberately trying to trick her into agreeing to treat Xie Liuzheng?

If she cured him, Luo Qianxue could smoothly marry him.

If she failed, it would prove her medical skills were poor and she was making up lies to fool people, and she might even be branded an imperial fraud.

Ji Yuntang did not want to fall into either trap.

With a faint smirk, she said calmly, "Your Majesty should have heard the saying: Emotional sickness needs an emotional cure."

"While I cannot cure my brother's illness, that does not mean he will never get better for the rest of his life!"

Emperor Jingyang held his gaze on her for a moment, signaling her to continue.

"To cure my brother's illness is simple: only when he meets his fated partner will this mental maze condition naturally be cured!"

Emperor Jingyang: "..." (speechless)

Emperor Jingyang: "!!!!!"

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